Will Hayes

About

Back home in Ireland, Will completed a BSc in Zoology before going on to complete his MSc in Conservation Biology here at the University of Kent, from which he was awarded the Maurice Swingland Prize for best postgraduate student. His research addresses the social and environmental impacts associated with gold mining in the rainforests of Guyana. As Guyana’s Government seeks to transition the country into a ‘green economy’ based on sustainable development over the next 15 years, increasing deforestation and mercury pollution from gold mining are becoming a national concern. This PhD project is a partnership between the DICE research centre (School of Anthropology and Conservation) and Conservation International Guyana (CIG). The co-developed research will feed directly into CIG’s work on mining. As such, the project has a high impact potential as Guyana needs to benefit from its mineral wealth but faces huge obstacles to do so. A key element of his work includes identifying areas of potential future mining-related activities and conflicts.

Supervision

Dr Jake Bicknell and Prof Zoe Davies, School of Anthropology & Conservation.